Trump says U.S. and Iran will meet next week

Trump just unleashed on journalists who published the contents of an initial intelligence report on the U.S. strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities.

"The report was not a complete report," he said.

He added that the assessment from the Defense Intelligence Agency found that the damage from the U.S. attacks "may be very severe," and complained that news outlets ignored that line in their reporting on the initial findings.

The intel report appears to undermine claims by Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that the Saturday night strikes on Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan sites had totally "obliterated" the country's nuclear program.

— Kevin Breuninger

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says his agency is doing a "leak investigation" with the FBI into the initial intelligence assessment finding that the United States' strikes did not completely eliminate Iran's nuclear program.

"Of course, we're doing a leak investigation with the FBI right now, because this information is for internal purposes, battle damage assessments," Hegseth says at the NATO summit.

He criticizes CNN, which first reported on the assessment, claiming that the network wants to "spin it to make the president look bad, when this was an overwhelming success."

Hegseth also undercut the initial intelligence assessment, and said that its conclusions are "preliminary" and "low confidence."

— Erin Doherty

Secretary of State Marco Rubio insists that Iran is "much further away from a nuclear weapon today" than they were before the United State's strike on the country's nuclear facilities.

"Significant, very significant, substantial damage was done to a variety of different components, and we're just learning more about it," Rubio tells POLITICO in an exclusive interview while at the NATO summit.

"The Iranian program today looks nothing like it did just a week away," he says.

Rubio, like Hegseth, also dismisses the initial intelligence report detailing the results of the strikes, saying that such leaks are often "mischaracterized."

"In these leaks, what you typically have is someone who read it and then leaks it to the media, giving it the spin and the angle they want it to have because they've got some purpose: embarrass the administration, they were against the action, whatever it may be," Rubio says.

— Erin Doherty

Trump says the U.S. plans to talk to Iran next week and that the two countries "may sign an agreement."

He then follows up and says an agreement is not "necessary."

"The only thing we'd be asking for is what we were asking for before, about we want no nuclear," Trump says during a press conference at the NATO summit.

— Erin Doherty

U.S. President Donald Trump doubled down on the success of Washington's strikes on Iran, dubbing an American intelligence assessment of the offensives as "inconclusive."

The intelligence report had found that the operation did not destroy core parts of Iran's nuclear program.

"The intelligence says, 'We don't know, it could have been very severe.' That's what the intelligence says. So, I guess, that's correct. But I think that we can take the 'We don't know,' it was very severe. It was obliteration," Trump told reporters at the NATO summit in the Netherlands. "Iran went down to the site to the site afterwards. They said it's so devastated, and they settled when they saw what we did to it. And frankly if we didn't do that, they would have had a lot of ammunition to keep going, they wouldn't have settled."

The White House leader added that Iran's nuclear program — the key reason cited by Israel and the U.S. for their military interventions during the 12-day conflict — was set back "basically decades" by the U.S. intervention.

When asked whether the U.S. would strike again if Tehran chose to rebuild its nuclear program, the U.S. president said, "Sure," but talked down the likelihood of such an Iranian initiative.

"I don't think they'll ever do it again," Trump said. "I think they're going to take their oil, they're going to have some missiles, and they'll have some defense. I think they've had it. I mean, they just went through hell, I think they've had it. The last thing they want to do is enrich."

— Ruxandra Iordache

Iran's Parliament has approved a bill to suspend cooperation between Tehran and the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iranian outlet Nour News reported, according to a Google translation.

The resolution bans IAEA officials from entering Iran for inspections unless the security of nuclear facilities is guaranteed.

IAEA chief Rafael Gross had on Tuesday pressed for the agency to resume nuclear cooperation with Iran, whose nuclear facilities were expressly targeted during the 12-day war.

— Ruxandra Iordache

Three men were executed in Iran Wednesday after they were convicted of collaborating with Israel's intelligence agency Mossad, Iranian state-owned media Mizan news agency reported. CNBC was unable to independently verify the claim.

The three people were described as "Mossad spies" and accused of "bringing assassination equipment into Iran," according to Tasnim, a news agency affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

"According to the authorities, they smuggled assassination equipment into the country disguised as shipments of alcoholic beverages. These tools were reportedly used in the assassination of a public figure," Tasnim reported.

— Victor Loh

President Trump on Tuesday night doubled down on his assertion that Iranian nuclear sites were "completely destroyed," rebutting earlier news reports that U.S. strikes had failed to knock out the nation's nuclear program.

An initial assessment from the Defense Intelligence Agency, part of the Department of Defense, found that the strike had only set back Iran's nuclear program by three to six months, CNN reported Tuesday. Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium also wasn't destroyed, it said.

The New York Times and other media organizations also reported the contents of the DoD assessment on Tuesday.

"FAKE NEWS CNN, TOGETHER WITH THE FAILING NEW YORK TIMES, HAVE TEAMED UP IN AN ATTEMPT TO DEMEAN ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL MILITARY STRIKES IN HISTORY," Trump wrote Tuesday night on Truth Social.

"THE NUCLEAR SITES IN IRAN ARE COMPLETELY DESTROYED!" he wrote.

— Greg Iacurci

U.S. missile strikes did not completely destroy Iran's key nuclear sites, an initial American assessment from the Defense Intelligence Agency found, according to three people familiar with the report who spoke to NBC News.

"We were assuming that the damage was going to be much more significant than this assessment is finding," one of the three sources told NBC News. "This assessment is already finding that these core pieces are still intact. That's a bad sign for the overall program." 

The assessment also found that the U.S. strikes set Iran's nuclear program back by around three to six months. But Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium was not destroyed and Tehran's centrifuges remain largely intact.

CNN first reported the existence of the report.

The assessment was based on U.S. Central Command's analysis of battle damage from the bombings of three Iranian nuclear facilities over the weekend. That analysis is ongoing.

The New York Times reported that the preliminary, classified report found the bombings did not collapse underground buildings of the Iranian nuclear sites.

The intelligence findings appear to contradict both Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who have asserted that the strikes completely "obliterated" the Iranian nuclear sites.

Asked for comment by CNBC, the Pentagon shared a statement from Hegseth that, "Based on everything we have seen — and I've seen it all — our bombing campaign obliterated Iran's ability to create nuclear weapons."

"Our massive bombs hit exactly the right spot at each target — and worked perfectly," Hegseth said in the statement. "The impact of those bombs is buried under a mountain of rubble in Iran; so anyone who says the bombs were not devastating is just trying to undermine the President and the successful mission."

Trump wrote on Truth Social on Monday, "The sites that we hit in Iran were totally destroyed, and everyone knows it."

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told NBC News in a statement that the "alleged assessment is flat-out wrong and was classified as 'top secret' but was still leaked to CNN by an anonymous, low-level loser in the intelligence community."

"The leaking of this alleged assessment is a clear attempt to demean President Trump, and discredit the brave fighter pilots who conducted a perfectly executed mission to obliterate Iran's nuclear program," Leavitt said.

She added: "Everyone knows what happens when you drop fourteen 30,000 pound bombs perfectly on their targets: total obliteration."

— Kevin Breuninger

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warns that his country "will strike again" if Iran "thinks of rebuilding" its nuclear program.

"We destroyed the key facilities in Arak, Natanz, and Isfahan," Netanyahu says during remarks to the nation, NBC News reports.

He touts Israel's attack on Iran as "a historic victory" and says that his country would have "faced the danger of annihilation" if it did not act.

He also says Israel "has never had a greater friend" than Trump, who he says "joined our cause in an unprecedented way."

"We must not ease up. Hamas must be defeated, and our hostages must be brought home," Netanyahu says, adding that Israel has "no intention of easing off the gas pedal."

— Erin Doherty

The classified House briefing on the Middle East, originally scheduled for today, is now set to take place on Friday, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson says.

"Senior Administration officials will present the latest information pertaining to the situation involving Israel and Iran," he says in a post on X.

Earlier, he said the classified briefing was postponed "due to ongoing developments in the Middle East."

"This decision reflects the need to ensure that Members receive timely and complete information aligned with the current circumstances," Johnson writes on X.

— Erin Doherty

Israel's defense minister, Israel Katz, says he spoke with U.S. Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth to thank Trump for taking action "against the Iranian nuclear threat."

"I emphasized that Israel will respect the ceasefire — as long as the other side does," Katz says in an X post. "We agreed to deepen the close U.S.-Israel security cooperation."

Katz writes that Hegseth "praised Israel and the IDF for the historic achievements made."

— Kevin Breuninger

Israel's Ben Gurion Airport is returning to normal operations, the country's airports authority says.

"Restrictions on the number of incoming and outgoing flights, as well as the number of passengers on each flight, have been lifted," the Times of Israel reports from an Israel Airports Authority statement.

"In addition, restrictions on the arrival of passengers and accompanying persons at the airports have been lifted," the statement continues.

Iran's airspace is also partially open, according to flight monitoring company FlightRadar24.

"Iranian airspace is now open to international arrivals and departures to/from Tehran with prior permission," FlightRadar24 wrote on X.

— Erin Doherty

Several of the Iranian nuclear sites struck by Israeli and U.S. missiles have sustained "extensive damage" to their uranium conversion and enrichment facilities, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency says.

"Our assessment is that there has been some localized radioactive as well as chemical release inside the affected facilities that contained nuclear material – mainly uranium enriched to varying degrees," IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said in a press release.

Grossi said that "there has been no report of increased off-site radiation levels" or radiological impact in neighboring countries. And "crucially in terms of nuclear safety, Iran's research and power reactors were not targeted," he added.

U.S. strikes at Iran's Natanz nuclear site created two impact holes above the subterranean halls that were used for enrichment, the IAEA release said. "Based on its knowledge of what these halls contained, the IAEA assesses that this strike may have caused localized contamination and chemical hazards," the agency said.

 — Kevin Breuninger

Israel has lifted war-related restrictions across the country that had banned public gatherings, closed schools, shuttered all but essential businesses, and limited air travel.

"Following a situation assessment and approval by Defense Minister Israel Katz, it has been decided that starting today at [8 p.m. local time], the Home Front Command's defensive guidelines will be updated," Israel Defense Forces said in a statement.

As part of these changes, "all areas of the country will transition to full operational activity without restrictions," the IDF said.

- Dan Mangan

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer slams the delay of the Senate's classified briefing on Iran as "outrageous," "evasive" and "derelict."

"This last minute postponement of our briefing is outrageous," he tells reporters after the briefing, originally scheduled for today, was moved to Thursday, NBC News reports.

"It's evasive, it's derelict. They're bobbing and weaving and ducking," he says.

The briefing is reportedly postponed to allow for Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to return from the NATO summit and attend.

— Erin Doherty

Stocks are posting gains today, amid cautious optimism about the Israel-Iran ceasefire.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average is up nearly 500 points, or 1.1%, with the S&P 500 also posting a 1.1% increase of nearly 70 points and the Nasdaq Composite up nearly 300 points, or 1.4%.

At least 18 stocks in the S&P 500 are trading at new 52-week highs today.

– Laya Neelakandan

Several members of Congress are questioning what has become of Iran's stock of enriched uranium in the days since the U.S. damaged three nuclear facilities with airstrikes and bombs.

Atomic energy watchdogs estimate that Iran has at least 9 kilos of uranium enriched to 60%, a level that could relatively easily be further enriched to 90%, or weapons grade.

Republican Rep. Scott Perry, Penn., told CNN he suspects Iran still has enriched uranium even after the American strikes. "I will put it this way. I wouldn't be surprised if some of it still exists," he said.

Perry told CNN's John Berman he also believed Iran was still "a terrorist regime."

"So after these 12 days there is still a terrorist regime in power with enriched uranium?" Berman asked.

 "That is absolutely true. Yeah, I think that's a correct characterization," said Perry.

Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal is also concerned about the threat that Iran's enriched uranium poses to the United States.

Blumenthal told NBC he wants the administration to tell senators "how effective the strikes against the Iranian nuclear capability have been. Where is the enriched uranium that seemingly was removed from Fordo?"  

"I believe deeply that a nuclear armed Iran is a threat to the entire world, including the United States, but confronting that threat requires a strategy as well as strength. I see no indication of a coherent strategy here. The president needs to explain to the American people as well as to Congress what the strategy is," said Blumenthal.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is arguing that the War Powers Act, a Nixon-era law limiting the president's power to unilaterally wage war, is unconstitutional.

Johnson also vowed that a pending resolution to bar U.S. military action in Iran under that law will not pass the House.

The Speaker told reporters that Trump's decision to order strikes on Iranian nuclear targets over the weekend was "clearly" within his powers under Article II of the U.S. Constitution.

He said he agreed with scholars who believe that the War Powers Resolution of 1973 violates Article II.

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., alongside Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California, last week introduced a War Powers resolution that would bar the U.S. military from "unauthorized hostilities" in Iran. But Massie said Monday evening that he would not advance his resolution if the Iran-Israel ceasefire holds, Politico reported.

Read more about Johnson's War Powers Act dilemma here.

— Kevin Breuninger

Vice Admiral Charles Cooper II, Trump's nominee to serve as commander of U.S. Central Command, warns of an "emerging axis" among Iran, North Korea, Russia and China.

"We've certainly seen the tactical implications of support from Iran to Russia," he said during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee.

"We've seen tactical implications of Chinese companies providing sensors and weapons and components to Iran, who ship them to the Houthis who shoot them at Americans," he added.

"I think we need to call those types of things out more, but clearly that emerging foursome, that axis, is one that we need to pay attention to."

— Erin Doherty

Oil prices have fallen sharply now that Trump says China can keep buying oil from Iran, a sign that the U.S. is easing its maximum pressure campaign on the Islamic Republic in the wake of a ceasefire with Israel.

Global benchmark Brent fell $4.14, or 5.79%, to $67.34 per barrel by 11:55 a.m. ET. U.S. crude oil was last down $3.97, or 5.79%, to $65.54 a barrel. Prices closed 7% lower on Monday as the oil market bet that the conflict in the Middle East was winding down.

"China can now continue to purchase Oil from Iran," Trump said in a post on his social media platform Truth Social. "Hopefully, they will be purchasing plenty from the U.S., also. It was my Great Honor to make this happen!"

— Spencer Kimball

Former Secretary of State Antony Blinken is calling the U.S.'s weekend missile strike on Iran nuclear sites "unwise and unnecessary" in a new New York Times op-ed.

"Now that it's done, I very much hope it succeeded," Blinken, who served under former President Joe Biden, wrote.

"I can only hope that we inflicted maximum damage — damage that gives the president the leverage he needs to finally deliver the deal he has so far failed to achieve," he wrote.

– Laya Neelakandan

A former Defense Department official says the next phase in the Iran-Israel conflict will be at the negotiating table.

Michèle Flournoy, WestExec Advisors co-founder and managing partner and former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy in the Obama administration, said the focus now should be on putting pressure on both sides.

The key is to assess how much damage was actually done to Iran's nuclear programs and determine whether Iran will come to the negotiating table "more seriously than it did before," she told CNBC's Squawk Box.

"I understand that we all want to sigh a big sigh of relief today with the ceasefire, but this is far from over as yet," she added.

– Laya Neelakandan

Two classified briefings for Congress on Iran that were scheduled for this afternoon have been postponed, NBC News' Frank Thorp reports.

The decision to postpone the briefings comes as a fragile ceasefire appears to be taking hold, and both Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth are in the Netherlands with Trump to attend the NATO summit.

It was unclear when the House briefing would be held, but the Senate briefing is scheduled for Thursday.

Thorp notes this will be the first classified briefing since the U.S. strikes last weekend to which all members of Congress are invited, not just a small group of intelligence committee leaders and party leadership.

— Christina Wilkie

Trump is claiming in a new Truth Social post that Israel and Iran both desired a ceasefire after more than a week of exchanging rocket fire.

"Both Israel and Iran wanted to stop the War, equally! It was my great honor to Destroy All Nuclear facilities & capability, and then, STOP THE WAR!"

While U.S. bombing did significant damage to three nuclear facilities, it did not eliminate Iran's enriched uranium. U.S. intelligence officials have admitted in recent days they do not know where much of that material is being stored.

— Christina Wilkie